U.S. patent number 6,701,160 [Application Number 09/575,272] was granted by the patent office on 2004-03-02 for method and apparatus to locally block incoming selected calls.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Motorola, Inc.. Invention is credited to Jose E. Korneluk, Ellis Arthur Pinder, David S. Seekins, Alfred B. Wieczorek.
United States Patent |
6,701,160 |
Pinder , et al. |
March 2, 2004 |
Method and apparatus to locally block incoming selected calls
Abstract
A mobile communication device (100) contains a memory (110), a
controller (112) and transceiver components (120, 122, 124, 126).
When an incoming call signal is received (314), the controller
compares the source identifier with various lists (210, 240, 270)
stored in the memory. If the source identifier is contained on a
rejection list, the call is rejected. If the source identifier is
contained on an acceptance list, the call is received normally,
unless a do not disturb feature is active. The lists may be fixed
or selectable. Selectable lists are configurable by the user of the
mobile communication device, whereas fixed list types cannot be
changed by the user of the mobile communication device.
Inventors: |
Pinder; Ellis Arthur
(Plantation, FL), Wieczorek; Alfred B. (Plantation, FL),
Korneluk; Jose E. (Boynton Beach, FL), Seekins; David S.
(Sunrise, FL) |
Assignee: |
Motorola, Inc. (Shaumburg,
IL)
|
Family
ID: |
31716120 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/575,272 |
Filed: |
May 22, 2000 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/550.1;
455/418; 455/565; 455/422.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M
1/663 (20130101); H04M 1/724 (20210101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04M
1/66 (20060101); H04M 1/663 (20060101); H04M
1/72 (20060101); H04M 1/725 (20060101); H04M
001/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;455/566,242,550,417,33.1,70,414.1,433,458,415,466,418,425.1
;379/196,188,199,210.01,211.01 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Tran; Sinh
Assistant Examiner: Afshar; Kamran
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Garrett; Scott M.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for selectively blocking incoming calls at a subscriber
unit, the subscriber unit having a memory, the method comprising:
setting the subscriber unit into a do not disturb mode; receiving
an incoming call, including receiving a source identifier;
accepting the incoming call if the source identifier is found on a
fixed acceptance list, even if the source identifier is found on a
selectable rejection list, the fixed acceptance list not being
changeable by a user of the subscriber unit; and rejecting the
incoming call if the source identifier is found on the selectable
rejection list and not found on the fixed acceptance list.
2. A method for selectively blocking incoming calls as defined in
claim 1, wherein the step of accepting the incoming call comprises
accepting the incoming call even if the source identifier is found
on a selectable rejection list, the selectable rejection list being
changeable by the user of the subscriber unit.
3. A method for discriminating incoming calls at a mobile
communication device, the mobile communication device having a
fixed acceptance list, and a selectable rejection list, the method
comprising: receiving an incoming call from a calling party
including a source identifier of the calling party; comparing the
source identifier with the fixed acceptance list and accepting the
incoming call if the'source identifier is contained in the fixed
acceptance list, the fixed acceptance list not being changeable by
a user of the subscriber unit; and comparing the source identifier
to the selectable rejection list and rejecting the incoming call if
the source identifier is contained in the selectable rejection list
unless the source identifier is on the fixed acceptance list, the
selectable rejection list being changeable by the user of the
mobile communication device.
4. A method for discriminating incoming call as defined by claim 3,
wherein the comparing the source identifier to the fixed acceptance
list occurs prior to comparing the source identifier to the
selectable rejection list.
5. A method for discriminating incoming call as defined by claim 3,
further comprising rejecting the call if a do not disturb mode is
active.
6. A method for discriminating incoming call as defined by claim 3,
further comprising comparing the source identifier to a fixed
rejection list and rejecting the incoming call if the source
identifier is contained in the fixed rejection list.
7. A method for discriminating incoming call as defined by claim 3
further comprising comparing the source identifier to a selectable
acceptance list and accepting the incoming call if the source
identifier is contained in the selectable acceptance list.
8. A mobile communication device for discriminating incoming calls,
comprising: means for receiving an incoming call; a memory means
containing a fixed acceptance list, and a selectable rejection
list, the fixed acceptance list not being changeable by a user of
the mobile communication device, the selectable rejection list
being changeable by the user of the mobile communication device,
wherein the fixed acceptance list is a fixed list type and the
selectable rejection list is a selectable list type; and controller
means for comparing a source identifier received with the incoming
call signal to the fixed acceptance list and selectable rejection
list; wherein the mobile communication device accepts the incoming
call if the source identifier is contained in the fixed acceptance
list and rejecting the incoming call if the source identifier is
contained in the selectable rejection list.
9. A mobile communication device for discriminating incoming calls
as defined in claim 8, wherein the memory means further comprises a
fixed rejection list, the fixed rejection list not being changeable
by the user of the mobile communication device, the mobile
communication device rejecting the incoming call if the source
identifier is contained in the fixed rejection list.
10. A mobile communication device for discriminating incoming calls
as defined in claim 8, wherein the memory means further comprises a
selectable acceptance list, the selectable resection list being
changeable by the user of the mobile communication device, the
mobile communication device accepting the incoming call if the
source identifier is contained in the selectable acceptance
list.
11. A mobile communication device for discriminating incoming calls
as defined in claim 8, wherein the memory means contains a means
for indicating a state of a do not disturb feature, wherein after
the source identifier has been compared to the fixed and selectable
lists, the mobile communication device rejects the incoming call if
the state of the do not disturb feature is active.
12. A mobile communication device for discriminating incoming calls
as defined in claim 8, wherein the fixed acceptance list and the
selectable rejection list are time dependent.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates in general to mobile communication systems
and more particularly to methods for identifying and selectively
receiving calls at a mobile station.
BACKGROUND
Users of portable communication devices often encounter situations
where it is desirable not to be disturbed, or where contact should
be limited to a preferred group of people. Turning off the device
stops incoming calls, but it prevents paging messages or
high-priority calls from being received. Furthermore, the device is
not readily available for immediate communication. A silent,
vibrating alert feature offers an improvement, but such a feature
requires the user to pick up the radio and determine the caller's
identity every time a call is received. This is considered by many
users to be an annoyance, especially when the calls received are
dispatch-type calls associated with a two-way radio. A radio
typically transmits an acknowledgement whenever an incoming call is
received, which adversely affects battery life, as do vibrating
alerts and short audible alerts. Battery life is an important
consideration to users of portable devices.
Business users of such devices may wish to limit, or more
specifically, control call-in access to radios to ensure they are
being used for business purposes. For example, it is desirable
under certain circumstances to limit incoming calls to those on a
pre-approved list. It is also desirable to block calls from certain
callers. In both of these cases, an improvement can be realized by
identifying the source of the incoming call, comparing the caller
source information to an access list, and optionally blocking the
call based on the result of the comparison. Thus the need exists
for a method to locally block selected incoming calls.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a communication environment having a plurality of
communication subscriber units in accordance with the present
invention;
FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a transceiver operating as a
subscriber unit in the communication environment of FIG. 1, in
accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the call blocking list of FIG. 2,
in accordance with the present invention; and
FIG. 4 shows a flowchart diagram showing the processing of a
received call by a subscriber unit in accordance with the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
While the specification concludes with claims defining the features
of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that
the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the
following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in
which like reference numerals are carried forward.
When an incoming call is received by a subscriber unit, the
communication system transmits source identification information
along with the call. The incoming call can be a phone call from a
telephone network, a private, or unit to unit call made directly
from another subscriber unit, or a short message service or page
call. The subscriber unit then decides whether or not the call will
be accepted, according to a set of rules stored in the subscriber
unit. If the rule set determines that the call may proceed, then
the user is alerted to the incoming call and can respond. If the
rule set determines that the call should be rejected, the user is
not alerted and the call is terminated.
Referring to FIG. 1, a block diagram of communication system 30 is
shown, and includes a plurality of mobile stations or subscriber
units, including a first subscriber unit 40 and a second subscriber
unit 50. The communication system may further include a
communication system infrastructure 20. The communication system 30
can be, for example, a two-way radio system or a cellular system.
The communication system infrastructure 20 is typically connected
to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 10 through
communication link 15, such as a frame relay link. The
communication link 15 allows subscriber units of communication
system 30 to communicate over the PSTN. The first subscriber unit
40 can make a call to another subscriber unit, such as second
subscriber unit 50. The call can be directly from one subscriber
unit over the air to the other subscriber unit, or it may be
facilitated by the communication infrastructure 20. Furthermore,
the call can be a private call to a single other subscriber unit,
or it can be to multiple other subscriber units. The second
subscriber unit 50 receives notification of the call from either
the infrastructure 20, or from first unit 40. The notification
contains a source identifier (ID) of the caller that identifies the
first subscriber unit 40 as the calling party to the second
subscriber unit. The second subscriber unit 50 then decides,
according to a list of locally-stored rules, whether to allow the
call to proceed.
In an alternate embodiment, an external call initiated from PSTN 10
is directed towards first subscriber unit 40. The telephone network
will send the call notification and source ID information over
connection 15 to communication system 30, where infrastructure 20
will forward the call to the appropriate subscriber unit, such as
first subscriber unit 40. Those skilled in the art will recognize
the source ID information in this embodiment may be the so-called
caller ID service provided by the operators of the PSTN 10. The
first subscriber unit 40 receives notification of the call from
infrastructure 20, and the notification contains the source ID of
the caller, which typically includes the phone number of the
external caller from telephone network 10. First subscriber unit 40
then decides, according to a list of locally-stored rules, whether
to allow the call to proceed.
A block diagram of a typical subscriber unit 100, such as first
subscriber unit 40, is shown in FIG. 2. Referring now to FIG. 2, a
transceiver operating as a subscriber unit 100 comprises a receiver
120 and transmitter 122, both electrically coupled to antenna 126
via antenna switch 124, as is common in the art. Receiver 120 and
transmitter 122 are both electrically coupled to controller 112,
which may be, for example, a microprocessor for operating
subscriber unit 100. Controller 112 operates according to
instruction code stored in a memory 110. The memory also further
contains call blocking information 111, including data and rules,
as is described hereinbelow. Upon receipt of a call, controller 112
processes the received source ID according to the set of rules
stored in the call blocking information section of memory 110. In
the preferred embodiment, the call blocking information is stored
in a portion of memory 110 that is non-volatile and programmable to
ensure the information is maintained when electrical power is
removed from subscriber unit 100.
Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a block representation 200
of call blocking information for use in a radio subscriber unit in
accordance with the invention. The call blocking information
comprises at least one call blocking list, such as a first call
blocking list 210. The first call blocking list 210 comprises two
sections; a list configuration 220 and a source ID list 230. The
source ID list 230 contains source IDs which are compared to the
source ID received with an incoming call according to rules in list
configuration 220. In the preferred embodiment, the subscriber unit
is placed in a "do not disturb" mode to enable call blocking. The
list configuration 220 specifies what type of list the present list
is, with the preferred types being acceptance and rejection lists.
The list configuration 220 specifies, for example, that the list
type 222 indicates the first call blocking list is an acceptance
list. An acceptance list informs the subscriber unit to allows
calls received from callers listed in the source ID list 230 to
bypass the call blocking feature. For example, a call received from
a caller with ID 5095 (234) will be processed, resulting in an
alert to the user, even though the call blocking feature may be
enabled.
In the preferred embodiment, the user can configure certain
parameters associated with a call blocking list. For example, the
user can indicate that source ID list 230 can be time-sensitive,
meaning that the rules are enforced during a specified time period
and are not enforced outside that time period. It is contemplated
that the time period may be established by a timer for a
preselected period of time, or according to a clock to establish
valid times of day for enforcing the rule. For example, as shown in
the first call blocking list 210, the active period for rule
enforcement 224 is "always." The rules specified by list
configuration 220 and the source ID list 230 may further be
controlled by the user, at the option of the manufacturer or owner
of the radio, as indicated by the entry "user-selectable," in a
list edit type 226. These types of lists that are editable by the
user are referred to simply as selectable lists. A selectable list
edit type, for example, would permit the user to make changes to
the source ID list 230, such as adding, changing, and deleting
operations. In one embodiment, changes to list configuration 220
would not be permitted. In an alternate embodiment, changes to
selected fields in list configuration 220, such as active period
224, would be allowed.
The second call blocking list 240 contains a list configuration 250
and source ID list 260. This call blocking list is representative
of one used to reject incoming calls from certain parties. For
example, the list type 252 indicates that this list is a rejection
list to the controller 112, and the action for this list is to
block incoming calls that match a source ID in the source ID list
260. This is in contrast to first call blocking list 210 which
functioned as an acceptance list. Here the active period 254
indicates, for example, that this list is enforced during a
specified time period, such as 09:00 to 17:00 hours daily. Here the
list edit type 256 indicates that second call blocking list 240 is
also user editable.
A third call blocking list 270 contains list configuration 280 and
Source ID list 290. The list type 282 indicates that the third call
blocking list 270 is an acceptance list, and the action for this
list is to allow incoming calls that match a source ID in source ID
list 290. Here the active period 284 indicates that the rules for
this list are always enforced, and the list edit type 286 indicates
that the third call blocking list is fixed. Thus, the third call
blocking list 270 effectively forces the subscriber unit to alert a
user when receiving a call from a caller whose ID is in this source
ID list, and this status is not changeable by the user.
In the present invention, fixed call blocking lists have higher
priority than user-selectable call blocking lists. For example, a
subscriber user can edit the second call blocking list 240 and add
source ID "9999" (266). This is permitted, since list edit type 256
specifies the second call blocking list 240 to be user-selectable,
or simply selectable list. There are selectable acceptance lists
and selectable rejection lists. The third call blocking list 270,
however, is a fixed list as previously described and as indicated
by list edit type 286. The third call blocking list 270 contains
source ID list 290 which also contains source ID 9999 (292). The
third call blocking list 270 has list type 282 set to make it an
acceptance list, which means the source ID in source ID list 290
shall not be blocked. It is evident that a conflict exists for the
two entries of source ID 9999 (266, 292). Since fixed call blocking
lists have higher priority, a call received from a caller having a
source ID of 9999 result in an alert being given to the user, even
though the user had placed the source ID in a user selectable
rejection list.
The precedence given to call blocking lists of fixed type is an
advantage because it provides some means of restricting the
subscriber unit's ability to block calls. A business owner, for
example, with a fleet of radios may wish to ensure all employees
cannot block calls from the office dispatcher or the foreman. The
business owner could instruct the radio provider to configure the
radios in such a manner prior to delivery, by placing the source ID
of the dispatcher or foreman in each other radio's fixed acceptance
list. Employees could still utilize the blocking feature with by
selectable call blocking lists, but they would not be able to
override rules set by the business owner.
In an alternate embodiment, a call blocking list could be specified
that is selectable with a list type of rejection list. Such a list
would allow the user to enter entries that might be associated with
nuisance callers. This embodiment would provide a button or menu
item on the subscriber that would place the current caller on the
list. In other words, when a nuisance call is received, the user
simply, for example, by pushing a button, adds the source ID of the
nuisance caller to the user selectable rejection list.
Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a flow chart diagram of a
method for blocking calls, in accordance with the invention. The
calling party first initiates a call, which sends a call signal
(310) from either the mobile communication device directly to the
target mobile communication device, or from the base station to the
target mobile communication device. The receiving subscriber unit
receives a call request (314) from a calling party, which includes
a source ID of the equipment of the calling party, and in
accordance with the invention, the subscriber unit compares the
source ID to source ID in various call blocking lists stored in the
subscriber unit, such as those described in reference to FIG. 3. If
the source ID of the caller is in a rejection list and has a fixed
edit type (318), then the call is rejected (360). If the source ID
of the caller is not in a call list that is a rejection list and
has a fixed edit type (318), then evaluation continues. If the
source ID of the caller is in a call list that is an acceptance
list and has a fixed edit type (322), then the call is accepted and
the user is alerted (350). If the source ID of the caller is
otherwise in a rejection list and has a user-selectable edit type
(326), then the call is rejected (360). If the source ID of the
caller is not in a rejection list (326), then evaluation continues.
If the source ID of the caller is in an acceptance list and has a
user-selectable edit type (330), then the call is accepted and the
user is alerted (350). Finally, if the source ID is not found to be
associated with any of the four call list types, and if the call
blocking feature has been enabled, then the call is rejected (360).
Otherwise the call is accepted and the user is alerted (350). It
will be noted that the preferred order is to check the fixed list
types first before checking those that are user configurable.
Checking fixed list types first establishes their priority over
user configurable list types.
In the preferred embodiment, no acknowledgement is sent by the
subscriber to acknowledge the call if the call is rejected. This
provides no feedback to the caller that the subscriber is
available, but it does offer power-savings benefits. In an
alternate embodiment, an acknowledgement is sent back to the
caller, even though the receiving subscriber is not alerted. In yet
another embodiment, a negative acknowledgement is sent back to the
caller. The caller is now aware that the receiving subscriber is on
the system, but is not accepting communication from the caller. The
receiving subscriber unit maintains a list of recently-received,
rejected calls to allow the subscriber user at a later time to
contact callers that were rejected. It is further contemplated that
each of these choices of acknowledgement may be associated with
each source ID so that the type of acknowledgement the caller
receives depends on the setting determined by the user of the
subscriber unit being called.
Thus, the invention can be used for selectively blocking incoming
calls at a subscriber unit. For example, if the user first sets the
subscriber unit into the do not disturb mode, then receives an
incoming call, the call will be accepted even though the do not
disturb mode is active if the source identifier of the calling
party is on an acceptance list of ether type (fixed or selectable).
However, if the source identifier is not on an acceptance list, the
call will be rejected, meaning the subscriber unit will not alert
the user to the incoming call and will ignore the call. If the
subscriber unit contains a selectable rejection list, and the
source ID is on a fixed acceptance list, then the call will still
be accepted.
The invention can also be used for discriminating incoming calls at
a mobile communication device. For example, if the mobile
communication device has a fixed acceptance list and a selectable
rejection list, upon receiving an incoming call from a calling
party, the mobile communication device performs the step of
comparing the source identifier with the fixed acceptance list. If
the source identifier is on the fixed acceptance list, the mobile
communication device commences accepting the incoming call.
Accepting the incoming call includes alerting the user of the
mobile communication device via an audible ringer or, for example,
a vibration alert. If the source identifier is not on the fixed
acceptance list, and there is no selectable acceptance list, the
mobile communication device compares the source identifier to the
selectable rejection list and rejects the incoming call if the
source identifier is contained in the selectable rejection list. It
is preferable if the mobile communication device looks at the fixed
acceptance list prior to comparing the source identifier to the
selectable rejection list. If the source identifier is not on
either type of list and the do not disturb mode is active, the call
will be rejected. If a fixed rejection list is present, it will
preferably be examined prior to any selectable lists, and the call
will be accepted if the source identifier of the incoming call is
found on the fixed acceptance list. Finally, if the source
identifier is on a selectable acceptance list, the call will be
accepted even if the do not disturb mode is active.
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been
illustrated and described, it will be clear that the invention is
not so limited. Numerous modifications, changes, variations,
substitutions and equivalents will occur to those skilled in the
art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention as defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *